Quote from Didim Voices newspaper = A NEW era of applying for your residence permit via the Internet is about to dawn for foreigners, the head of the government department overseeing the changes has said.

The comments emerged at a conference hosted yesterday (Monday May 11) by Mr Atilla Toros, head of the Directorate General of Migration Management, for district governors, deputy general managers and Department Heads.

Mr Toros said that as many as 200,000 foreigners from 52 countries had applied in 2014, with the most living in 15 provinces, including Istanbul, Alanya, Aydin and Hatay.

A unit called the Provincial Directorate of Immigration Administration would help oversee new e-information systems which would link institutions and organisations focused on immigration.

He said that for the first time, residents will be able to apply via the Internet.

He added that the new era would deliver a better quality service for residents and a quicker process.

More information about the new system will be given out shortly.

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I found out this afternoon that the local police stations are no longer dealing with residence permit requests and in the Didim area as from the 18th of this month, all applications will have to be to Aydin, so I thought Bummer, then this afternoon this info appears so I imagine the "one central office per area" is leading up to each office being prepared to handle the incoming E applications ....as of yet, the page on the DGMM website detailing how to apply online is not up and working

On 11 May 2015 British Embassy consular officials attended a meeting at the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) of the Ministry of Interior in Ankara. Local governors from 15 provinces and districts including Istanbul, Bodrum, Fethiye, Didim, Marmaris and Alanya together with 52 representatives from other foreign missions attended the meeting.

The DGMM officials gave a presentation about their new policy which will start on Monday 18 May, 2015. To date migration issues, specifically residence permits, were dealt with by the Turkish National Police. Now control is being given to the Provincial Directorates of Migration Management. The DGMM will open offices in all 81 Provinces of Turkey. A link to the addresses of these DGMM offices can be found on the Home page of the DGMM website: Göç ?daresi Genel Müdürlü?ü

The DGMM asked Embassies to inform their nationals about the new system covering the following four categories of residence:
Long term, Short term, Family, Student.

First time applicants:

Applicants should make their Residence Permit (RP) applications before their tourist visa expires.
1. Go to the DGMM website Göç ?daresi Genel Müdürlü?ü (choose the English language version if required)
2. Click on E-Ikamet (e-Residence).
3. Fill in the online application form.
4. Make an online appointment with your provincial DGMM office.
5. Prepare all relevant documents. (a list of required documents is available on Göç ?daresi Genel Müdürlü?ü).
6. Visit the Migration Office in person on the date and time of your appointment with your relevant documents.
7. Assessment of your application will follow. If there is any missing document (s) you will be given 30 days to submit the document(s) and complete the application. At the end of 30 days if any missing documentation is not submitted then the application will be considered abandoned which will lead to a penalty fee.
8. If your application is accepted you will be given a Proof of Application document and your residence permit is then issued within 90 days via the Turkish postal system to your address in Turkey.
If your application for a residence permit is unsuccessful the DGMM will contact you so departure plans can be made.

Once your application has been generated on the online system, you can legally remain in Turkey until the appointment date
You can leave or re-enter Turkey (within 15 days) only after your application is submitted and you have the ‘Proof of Application’ document signed and stamped by the migration officer.

Renewals of Residence Permits:

Follow steps 1-3 as for first time applicants, then:
4. Pay the fee either;
a) online (print the evidence of online payment)
b) At a branch of the Ministry of Finance or banks that are appointed by the ministry (the DGMM will provide this information).
Two copies of the receipt must be attached to the relevant application.
5. Prepare all relevant documents.
6.Send your application by post/ courier to your provincial migration office.
Steps 7-8, as for first time applicants.

Fees:

1. Card fee for 2015 is 55TL.
2. Application fee this is calculated by the DGMM system according to nationality, duration and type of residence permit etc.

Important information regarding Work Permits:

Work permits are issued by the Ministry of Labour. In the past individuals could apply and obtain work permits while they were in Turkey. This has now stopped.
Work permits visas are issued by the Turkish missions outside of Turkey.
However, if a person has an application currently in progress this will not be affected in the interim period.
Any person who has a work permit does not need to apply for a residence permit as the Ministry of Labour will have ensured the applicant satisfied the requirements for residency.

Important information regarding Family Residence permits:

For husband and wife: the same application can be used for both persons.
For common law partnership: each person must apply separately.
For same gender partnerships/marriages: each person must apply separately.
In cases of marriage with more than one spouse: One spouse gets included in the main application, others must apply separately.

Please note:

• During the transitional period the DGMM will make a decision in favour of the applicant in case of any delay.

• If any person renews their passport while holding a valid residence permit, then an appointment must be made by using the new system. Individuals must hold a residence permit relating to their new passport details.

• A new residence permit is usually valid from the date when the current tourist visa expires. However, the date of appointment can be registered as the first date of the residence permit upon request.

• The applicant is not penalized for any delays in the mail when submitting documents.

• Validity of passports: 60 days of validity is needed past the intended day of departure (expiry date of permit) from Turkey.

• The DGMM Director confirmed that a multi lingual call centre is due to open soon.

This information covers how the new processes should operate once the provincial offices are open and the IT systems are up and running. Inevitably there may be problems during the transition period. We would like to collect feedback on your own experiences of the process from Monday 18 May, please leave your comments and questions below so we can pass them back to the DGMM.

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That would be very helpful if those pages actually existed but as of now they don't. For a start the link to the e-residence page is hidden down at the bottom and it leads to a big red notice PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

How are people supposed to make the required appointment?
How are they supposed to learn what documents are needed when the relent web page is blank?

OK I did easily find a batch of downloadable PDFs on there but the first one pertaining to short-term RP's is 11 pages long and far to complex for the average Joe. And that application form that applicants need to download, fill in and print is a spreadsheet, that's going to be useful to all those people with Tablets or smart phones.

This is yet another farce of epic proportions and it is all going to be in-force from Monday !!!

If you need to get or renew a residence permit in Side, you will have to go to the foreigners' bureau in Antalya, until they set up a new office in Manavgat. The Directorate General of Migration Management is opening this new office on Monday. Here is a page showing the new location, photos, and directions for how to get there. Turkey Central

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